Hard at Work
Lundi grunted as he pushed the saw through the thick log. He had been working for three nights now, constructing the wooden cages and stands where his group would plant themselves in, together with their all-new long-range rifles. His job was to make sure that they were able to stay hidden behind the sand dunes, yet stand firm on the soft ground. He remembered the meeting with the group of half-breeds and monsters. Definitely more than he'd expected had come out of it. Belial and Djali had been disgruntled with his presence and involvement with Luxidi. He smiled as he recalled their suspicious glances. He was one who could keep secrets, he thought gleefully, finally managing to break off a cylinder of wood from the large trunk. He lifted the loosed piece out of the way and proceeded to saw it further so that he had eight pieces hardwood to work with. It was a huge pain in the ass, especially since he was told specifically not to use magic, but it gave him time to ponder upon his progress towards the gems. He began chiseling a fragment of wood, then thought otherwise. At this rate, the team would not be able to take up their positions in two nights. He made a mental note to call upon Thumel to assist him in the refinery process, then went back to the sawing. "We're using zombies." Efthyl had approached him alone after the confrontation. He balked at her closeness and backed up against a tree. They were out of sight of the monsters. The way she was looking at him... He began to be wary as she inched closer and closer to him. If a raider's life had taught him anything, it was not to trust the women. "We need your help," she whispered. He could smell her herbish breath. Unamused, he perked up his eyebrow and kept his mouth unopened. She paused and for a moment, Lundi thought he saw uncertainty in her expression. He kept his stance and finally she seemed to understand - or she'd read his mind. As quickly as she had sidled up to him, she drew back, looking slightly embarrassed. He took the opportunity to clear his throat. "Umm... how may I help you?" he asked. To his relief, the moment before seemed completely forgotten. He learned that the monsters also harboured hateful feelings for the humans and that the gemstones had powers of some kind. There are other treasures along the way, she'd hinted, knowing that he was fond of hoarding. What she wants are the gems, not the treasures and if he would help her... Lundi snapped out of his revelry. There was an unnaturally loud and prolonged rustling from the trees, followed by a dull thud. He picked up a the sharpest stick of wood he could find from the discard pile and proceeded towards the area where he had heard the sound. Hidden by the thick brush, he caught glimpses of white flashing around the ground. In theory, nothing was supposed to scare him, but as the mumbling entered his ears, he felt an uneasy twist in his gut. He drew himself up and emerged from the trees - The white figure screamed, but didn't run away. As Lundi prepared to knock it out, something caught his eye and he froze, stick raised high in the air. The ground was sparkling with white gems. He lowered his stick slowly as the figure scrambled to its feet, trying to sweep the stones towards herself, away from him. It was then that he noticed that the stones were of strange shapes... They almost looked like teeth.